Features : Sage Francis Interview

Hailed as the one of the most controversial, gifted and innovative MCs of today, Sage Francis has already built up an incredible rep in the underground Hip Hop scene. Having recently signed with Epitaph, Sage is currently on tour in Australia promoting his new album 'A Healthy Distrust' which is hitting our streets on 8th February 2005. However, he still had time to answer a few questions I put to him.

MN: How do Sage, what goes on?

Hello. I am at a cyber cafe in the Kings Cross section of Sydney, Australia. It is 12:09 AM and hookers are parading about outside. Very strange people in this area. I like it. I actually walked by this huge fella who was sitting in front of me on the 16 hour plane ride today. I didn't say hi.

MN: Let's get down to business. I understand you have now signed to Epitaph. Considering you've had success on Anticon, Lex and with your own label Strange Famous, how do you feel about being on a major label? Were you hesitant about joining a large corporation?

I am always hesitant when I am faced with an opportunity that changes my pace of things, but the hesitance was very short with Epitaph. They are a great company, I know the owner and President and I get along with them well, and they are providing me some great service. There's nothing all that different about my music or my approach to it, but it seems as if the legwork will pick up on the business side of things. I am interested in seeing how that pans out.


MN: Your new album is called 'A Healthy Distrust'. Tell us about it. Are you happy with the finished recording? Are there any elements you would like to change about it?

I am a neurotic compulsive when it comes to my music, so you'd best believe that I have listened this new album close to 1000 times by now. Every other day I have a new thought about how I could have done something different, but in the end I think I made the right choices. Some songs have major punch, other songs are more laid back and tell a good story. Overall, the album is an EXPERIENCE with highs and lows. Some people like the more introspective tracks and think every song should be like that, and then you have the maniacs who think every song should be about killing promoters. No no no. Those songs are all part of a human puzzle. I don't want to have gaps in my puzzle.


MN: How do you think 'A Healthy Distrust' is different from 'Personal Journals'?

Well, it comes from a whole different period of my life. It points outward more than it is does inward, but it comes from the same core. It is a follow up of sorts, but all my music is just another documentation of whatever I have been feeling or thinking about in the time frame that it is made. I should be growing and developing as a human, and if I stay honest with my art then my music should reflect that. Sometimes that doesn't always happen. In this case, I believe it does.

MN: I was reading on the Epitaph website, and a few people have said they have heard the album via downloading it off the net. How do you feel about this? Has downloading had a negative effect on your music / career so far?

Downloading has not had a negative effect on my music. It has had an incalculable positive effect. That being said, I hope people spread the good word and buy an official copy if they enjoy what they hear. We even included the lyrics and booklet on the inside. Oh, and a urine sample.

MN: When recording, do you go into the studio with pre-written rhymes, lyrics and themes or do you hear the beat first and then write then and there?

I go into the studio with a fair understanding of what music I want to use and what lyrics I want to perform over that music. Sometimes those things change, and you just have to follow the flow of the moment. But I usually know exactly what I want to say, I just don't ever really know how it will sound. That results in change too. When I hear the play back and my voice doesn't match what I was hearing in my head then I end up tinkering or starting over from scratch. This can result in 307 takes sometimes.

MN: What producers or MC's who are out there now are you feeling or respecting?

Well, I have worked with Joe Beats since 1998 and I really like his esthetic. Currently, I am really impressed with Reanimator and his ability to get some very impressive work done in a short time span. He gives my music a professional touch. Sixtoo and Alias are the other people who I stick with on the production tip because I like the mood their music creates. I mesh well with all of these producers. There are a few producers out there who I enjoy but I don't know if I'll ever get to work with them. No biggie.

MN: I have read that you grew up listening to punk and hardcore bands. For alot of people the hardcore / straightedge scene is a real way of life. How was it growing up in that environment? How much do those past experiences influence your music and lifestyle now?

I entered the hardcore scene in 1996 mainly because I felt an affinity to the Straight Edge community. It was great to meet so many people who shared my distaste for drug culture. Although I don't really know any of those kids anymore, the main thing that struck me about the hardcore scene was their die hard independence. It showed me that there is no shame in presenting my ideas and manufacturing my music in any possible manner, just as long as I was doing something and involving myself. This resulted in mountains of blank tapes being dubbed, piles of photo copied covers, and paper cuts to the wrist. I performed at any place that had a mic. No shame. All desperation. Content over style. Substance over paycheck.

MN: What CD or LP has been in your CD player or on turntable recently?

There is this incredibly obscure group from NYC named Daddy. The only reason I know of them is because I met the singer, Laurel, at CBGBs back in 1999 when we were doing some poetry thing there. She hit me off with this cd and I never really checked it out until recently and I haven't seen her since 2000 or so. There are three or four songs on this album that just knock me out of my socks. Ocean, I Can Be Your Rose, and a couple others. She sounds like an angel on crack. I find myself listening to that cd more often than not recently. I don't know if this cd was ever released or not. The production seems professional enough that it could have been. Not sure.

MN: What are some major misconceptions that people have of you?

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. I like them all so I don't care to dispel many. One major misconception is that I started off writing poetry and then I decided to get into hiphop which is completely ass backwards. I don't mind those misconceptions though. People create their own legends with the lies they decide to believe in. Who am I to ruin the fun?


MN: Are there any plans for another Non-Prophets album?

Certainly, but it could take 5 or more years for that to happen. There is nothing in the works right now. Joe Beats is busy building is own thing and I suspect you'll be hearing a lot from him soon enough.


MN: Will you be playing the UK in the near future?

I think I will be touring Europe in April with Grand Buffet, in which case we will be playing the Scala. I am not sure though.

MN: Any final words for the people who are reading this?

When I finished this interview, I logged off, threw on a pair of blinders, and walked directly back to my hotel room. Nothing illegal happened. For more details, check out A Healthy Distrust in February and spread it to the ones you love. New website coming soon... www.sagefrancis.net. Thank you for the interview.